K-pop Group Banned From Music Shows for Having LGBTQ+ Members Announces Comeback

Despite facing blacklisting in Korea, THIS K-pop group with LGBTQ+ members remains determined to serve their fans with their music, as they officially announced their highly anticipated comeback.

On May 23, GP Korea, a Korean media outlet, released an article discussing the current progress of LIONESSES, the first and only K-pop idol group representing the sexual minority community.

Despite their seven-month hiatus, the group has announced their comeback to the music scene on June 1 with a new single titled “Like Christina taught me.”

This song, written and composed by producer member Damjun, is a tribute to the iconic pop diva Christina Aguilera.

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According to their words:

“Christina Aguilera’s ‘Beautiful’ is a song for which I am grateful for holding back my childhood when I was standing on the edge of a cliff. In addition to ‘Beautiful’, I worked on this song using a lot of quotes that pay tribute to great musicians who comforted me in the past, such as Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Yoon Bok Hee, and BTS. I thought I wanted to give back to DEN (Lionesses’ fandom name) the comfort I received through their music.

Compared to other star fandoms, ‘Den’ has a particularly strong feeling that it is a fandom that comes together and accepts each other with unspeakable wounds. That’s how much I wanted to return these comforts to my beloved Dens.”

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Despite the genuine intentions of the three members, LIONESSES continues to face discrimination and receive hateful comments due to their status as both a sexual minority and a K-pop idol.

In addition to being prohibited from music shows by major channels, Christian groups, led by pastors of large churches, would also prevent their music from being played by other broadcasting companies.

As a result of the Christian groups’ malicious complaints and protests, LIONESSES were compelled to carry on with their activities without being able to appear on broadcasts, as these agencies were the target of the groups’ actions.

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Despite challenges, the group remained committed to their goal of using their music to share the unheard stories of the sexual minority community in K-Pop history. As they continued to perform, they gained support from neighboring countries and grew a strong international fanbase.

Despite not having music show appearances, they were able to gain promotion by exclusively performing at commemorative events held at the Canadian and U.S. Embassies in Korea, as well as through campaigns and participation in queer festivals.

Meanwhile, band member Lee Malrang will find this comeback particularly meaningful as they will reveal their face behind the mask for the first time.

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Upon their debut, the members concealed their identities with masks, however gradually they began to unveil themselves to the public.

Lee Malrang was worried about removing their mask in the article because they feared it could harm their cousin’s career. Their cousin, (G)I-DLE’s Soyeon, is also a K-pop idol.

Despite the challenge of inspiring fans who were unable to attend, Lee found the determination to push through and fulfill that goal.